Distance and Time
by Purple-Jaxie
Summary: Two months after Angela's return from Europe, her relationship with Shawn is anything but happy. Facing a whirlwind of emotions both Angela and Shawn have to overcome their inhibitions and answer a life-altering question: will distance and time pull them closer or tear them a part?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story: products, logos, or characters. Anything in reference to Boy Meets World is used for fantasy only with no profit gained. **

** Author's Note: I have not written in a while and I hope that this is a story that you all enjoy. Please let me know what you think.  
**

_Summary: Two months after Angela's return from Europe, her relationship with Shawn is anything but happy. Facing a whirlwind of emotions both Angela and Shawn have to overcome their inhibitions and answer a life-altering question: will distance and time pull them closer or tear them a part?_

**Distance and Time**

**Chapter One**

Anger rose within her. She couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. Accusations and presumptions all assaulted her senses and what made them unbearable was the fact that they were coming from the lips of her beloved.

". . . I mean, you expect us to just pick up right where we were when you left a year ago?"

He was yelling and worst of all he was yelling at Angela. A thing that he rarely, if ever, did. Shawn couldn't explain exactly what, but whenever he saw her he felt enraged. When she returned two months ago from Paris, he had been ecstatic. The feel of her in his arms was like coming home. However, with her being suddenly back into his life, Shawn felt crowded and even resentful. With her return, a swell of emotions circled within him and he did not know what to do with them.

What did not help the fact was that Angela pretended as if the past year hadn't happened. Perhaps for her it went by quickly, but for Shawn, the one that was left behind, he felt every isolated minute, hour, and day. The euphoria that he felt when she returned was rapidly dissipating and Shawn did the only thing that he knew to do when he was hurt: he pushed the object away.

"I don't exactly expect us to pick up as if we have not been a part for a year, but I do expect for us to still be able to communicate and be open with each other as we were before."

Angela was trying to keep her cool because she knew what Shawn was doing. He had been doing it for the past month. He was picking fights, cancelling dates, being short and curt, in other words, he was pushing her away. She knew that he might be upset that she left, but for him to be volatile, especially at her, was a new side and one she was unsure of how to handle.

Since her return, Angela was staying in an apartment her dad setup for her. Shawn and her were inseparable her first week back. It felt almost as if she hadn't left, but quickly after that "honeymoon period" Shawn's affection changed. He was no longer cuddly, he started to desire spending more time alone than together.

Angela's first thought was another woman, but both Cory and Topanga squashed that thought even before it left her mouth. What then was causing Shawn, the love of her life, to push away almost to the point of an indefinite break up? As this thought entered her mind, everything suddenly clicked for Angela.

Shawn's eyes narrowed.

"You expect us to communicate? Well how's this for communication, Angela? Get out!" He was yelling again. The moment those last two words left, he regretted them, but there was no turning back now.

Angela took a step back at his bark. Flashbacks to his drunken high school days quickly flashed in her brain and for a moment she was scared of Shawn. Keeping her composure, she squared her shoulders and stood her ground. If Shawn was going to continue to be an ass then she was going to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Inwardly, she sighed. What was supposed to be a quiet evening at Shawn's apartment was turning into a fight for their relationship.

"I'm not leaving until we get this issue resolved, Shawn" was her tort reply.

The only thing that lay between them was an oversized Grecian rug on the floor. Shawn's one bedroom apartment was moderately furnished with a black leather sofa and recliner in the living room, and a small table with two chairs for dining adjacent from the open concept kitchen. Wall art and a bookcase also filled the space. Even though it wasn't much, its modest decorating screamed Shawn.

"What issue? I asked you to leave and that's what you need to do!"

He took a step closer.

Angela stood firm. "Correction: you yelled at me to leave. Rather rudely, I might add. Why Shawn? Why are you being so distant?" She pushed back a choke. After all that they've been through, why was he treating her this way?

That word made what little nerves he had left snap.

Breathing heavily, Shawn slid his hands down his face in an effort to calm himself down, but to no avail. He looked up into her quizzative eyes and let out the floodgate that he had dammed for over a year.

"Distant? Why am I being distant? Distant, Angela, would be leaving my heart alone for a year. Distant would be thirty letters, fifty phone calls, and two hundred e-mails in a year. Distant would be pretending as if I didn't just kick someone I loved aside. Oh, no, no my dear Angela," Shawn stepped closer until he was nose to nose with her and looking directly into her eyes. "Distant would be abandoning the one person I swore I never would."

He ended the last sentence in a whisper with their noses within a hairs breath of touching. Both were breathing heavily. Heat permeated between them along with a mixture of anger, desire, and sadness.

Angela knew he would be upset, possibly even hurt, but pure resentment was something she did not expect.

"You told me too," was her squeaked reply.

"And you listened," he said with finality.

Neither one moved because both were scared about what to do next. They were at the cusp, the edge of ending something that had saved them both from their pasts, healed their presents, and that promised a glowing future.

Shawn may have been angry but he knew that Angela was/is the best thing that has ever happened to him, but didn't she see, didn't she know that when she left she broke a promise that he held above everything: to never leave.

Angela saw Shawn's plea in his eyes. Behind the anger and resentment was pain; pain that_ she_ had caused him. However, didn't Shawn understand how important it was for her to be with her father? How many times did he say if he only had one more day? Yes, she left, but she came back as promised and wasn't that worth something? Her return was a testament to how dedicated and devoted she was to him.

What was only minutes seemed like hours as they continued to stare into one another's eyes.

Angela couldn't take it anymore and with tears glimmering in her eyes, she opened her mouth, moistened her lips, and spoke what might be her last words to the man she loved.

"When . . ." she hesitated, licked her lips again and continued. "When are you going to stop punishing me . . . us . . . for your past?"

With those words, Angela turned, opened the door and left the apartment and Shawn. Was it forever? Not even Shawn had hope of her returning a second time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story: products, logos, or characters. Anything in reference to Boy Meets World is used for fantasy only with no profit gained. **

**Chapter Two**

**Two Weeks Later**

Two weeks have passed since that night when Shawn and Angela had their fight. Shawn remembered distinctly the look of pain and shock that dressed her face.

Sitting alone with his elbow on the coffee table, Shawn gripped his head in his hands. Her last words still echoing in his head: _"When are you going to stop punishing me . . . us . . . for your past?"_

He seriously screwed this up. Sighing he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Shawn began to think. Growing up very few things happened to him that he considered positive. With a father that was more absent then present and a mother that wasn't really his, the only constant thing that he could rely on was his friendship with Cory and then Topanga. However, everything changed his senior year when he met Angela. All the negatives that he faced in his past evaporated because Angela was a person that he knew would never disappoint him, until now that is.

Was he really punishing her because of his own past insecurities? She left and that is something that only she could change, not him.

Shawn's thoughts continued to surround him. He had promised himself back when he conquered his drinking problem that whatever emotional or devastating events he encountered in life that he would handle it rationally. However, he broke that promise when he found out Verna was not his real mother, but he regained it again with the help of his family and friends. But then a more crushing blow came—Angela's leaving.

He let her go because he understood how valuable time spent with family—especially a father—could be. If he understood that, why, after a year apart was he resenting Angela? He couldn't say that she didn't keep in touch because she did. She called as frequently as every other week, e-mailed almost every other day, and sent handwritten notes bi-weekly. She doted upon him because, she said "I want you to know how loved you are even from afar." A quote he memorized from one of her correspondences.

Why now? What was he angry about? Her leaving initially? Her coming back? No, he missed her and even though apart he never even looked at another girl. Time she spent with her father? He knew he could be petty, but not that petty.

He guessed it all boiled down to a couple of things: 1) She left him so easily without so much as a hesitation; 2) She broke her promise to never leave him. It hurt Shawn that she could so willingly leave him without so much as an invitation to go. He would have declined, but it would have been nice to have been asked. Was his anger about her leaving something that he could forgive? Was this really something that he wanted to allow to ruin his relationship forever?

At this last thought Shawn opened his eyes. Looking at his wall clock he saw that it was eight in the evening. He prayed to God that she was home, heck, still in town. Grabbing his keys and leather jacket, Shawn dashed out of his fifth floor apartment with the first ounce of hope that he felt in months.

New York's skylight illuminated with the artificial rays of the neighboring sky and buildings. From her perch on her seated windowsill, Angela looked out from her tenth floor apartment into the area below.

How many loves have been lost and found beneath her?

She raised her ceramic mug to her lips and took a small sip of her herbal tea. She never really had a taste for coffee. Shawn on the other hand loved it. It never ceased to amaze her how different yet similar they were.

Tears stung her eyes as she thought about the past two weeks. She cried herself to sleep most nights and worked her frustrations out at her boxing class that she took on Mondays and Wednesdays with Topanga.

She divulged the details of that night to her best friend and when she expected sympathy (or at least empathy) all she got was a slap in the face.

_"You left him when you said you never would. For Shawn, your word is law. Regardless of the fact that he gave you his blessing, you still left him."_

Those sentences continued to resound in her mind. Why did Topanga always have to be right?

Angela took another sip from her mug. She did leave him and there was no going around that. She had naively assumed that everything would be okay when she came back. Unfortunately, she didn't expect the white elephant in the room that would accompany her return.

She wasn't sorry for leaving because it was really a once in the lifetime chance to spend time with her father, but she did regret that Shawn was a casualty in her decision. Angela never meant to hurt Shawn and her heart ached for him while they were apart.

On the other side, how many times did he leave her? Their on again off again relationship in college still left a small pang in her heart. He left because he was scared and she left to better her relationship with her father. It wasn't the same (distance wise) and she still saw Shawn on a daily basis. However, she couldn't fathom a worse pain then seeing something you love and not being able to have it over knowing something that you have is only out of sight for a while.

She set her cup of tea on her windowsill and pulled her legs into her chest. Angela wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin atop her knees. She did owe him an apology. If she learned anything from her father over the past year, it was the ability to admit when you're wrong and facing the consequences thereof.

She would apologize, but Shawn also had to take responsibility and let go of his past so that they could have a future.

A knock came at her door. Angela peeked at her watch and it read 8:20. Who could that be?

Untangling her limbs, Angela walked to her door and looked through the peephole. Her heart leaped to her throat. It couldn't? Could it?

Unlocking the door she slowly opened it and let in her evening visitor.

Shawn walked through the threshold and watched as Angela closed and locked the door behind her. She stood with her back to him even after the door was secure.

Her apartment was only a ten minute walk from his, but he stood outside her door for ten minutes gaining the courage to knock. Now that he had, what was he supposed to say? He really didn't think about what he would say. He was just more concerned with the fact that she would be home for him to say something to.

Angela turned and looked straight into his eyes. Whether he was here to yell at her some more or talk, she was going to stay strong.

What she saw in his eyes caused hers to mist over. Now these were the eyes that she fell in love with. Ocean blue stared at her chocolate orbs and in them she not only saw the reflection of herself, but also the pain that he had been hiding.

"You left me for a year." Shawn spoke first.

"But I came back."

"Yes, but you still left."

Angela took a step closer. She wanted to hold his gaze for as long as possible.

"I'm sorry if you feel that I abandoned you, Shawn. But you should know that I thought about you every single day. While I may not have been her physically, I still was with you. I kept in touch and I came back, Shawn. I came back." She let the tears stream down her face. She was just as vulnerable to him as he was to her.

Looking away, Shawn turned to take a seat where her mug now sat forgotten. Shawn sat and started picking at the skin on his hands. All Angela could do was watch his movements.

"You know," he chuckled, "There were times when I thought that you wouldn't come back. Times when I thought that this was the last letter, phone call, or e-mail."

"Why?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Why did you think that I would cut you out like that?"

"Because you did when you left." He said, still picking at his hand. "Because you left without a whole lot of reservations."

"Leaving you was the hardest thing that I ever had to do. But I had to. If I could have taken you with me I would have."

"Why didn't you then?" This time he looked up into her eyes.

"What?"

"Why didn't you ask me to go with you?"

Angela was taken aback by this question. She had an answer, but it really did not have much thought to it.

"Well, because I wanted to spend time alone with my father. With you there I would have been caught up with the beauty of us being together in the City of Love rather than bonding with my dad."

He went back to picking at his hand. "Yeah, but you still could have asked," he whispered.

"Yes, I could have asked, but what would you have said? No, right? It would have been a show. You know I am honest and I wasn't going to paint a picture for you that wasn't real."

She was right. Why would she ask a question just to make him feel better when he knew that he probably would have been more upset for her trying to appease him rather than being herself?

"It still doesn't change the fact that you left."

Angela knew that he was breaking down and that the only true thing that was hurting him was her walking out the door that fateful day. She walked to where he was sitting and kneeled down in between his slightly parted legs. She gently placed both of her hands on either side of his cheeks and positioned him to look at nothing but her.

"Would you have rather had me stay and resent you as you are doing to me now?"

He shook his head no.

"I left because I had to build a better relationship with my father. You are looking at this from a different perspective. I did not leave you, Shawn. Yes, I left the country, but never you."

A tear slide down his cheek and she quickly brushed it away.

"You are my life. I corresponded with you as much as I could because I love you so much. I am sorry that you felt that I left you. I am sorry that I hurt you in any way because I never, ever, ever wanted to do that. I am sorry that you feel that I broke my promise to never leave you because to me, I didn't."

His brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

A small smile graced her lips and Shawn desperately wanted to kiss them. He would have to wait though.

"When I said that I would never leave you I meant walk out that door and never look back. Leaving would be like our fathers: here today, gone tomorrow. Leaving would be like our mothers: leaving and never coming back. I left, but I came back. For you and for good. You see, I did not break my promise."

As she spoke, her right thumb lovingly stroked his cheek as his thumb consistently did when he held her in his arms.

Shawn swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "You are truly the only person that I have trusted and loved completely and it crushed me to think that you didn't love me as much as I love you. I was so caught up in you being gone that I didn't appreciate the fact that you still were here for me even when gone."

Shawn placed his hands on her wrists. "Thank you for coming back to me."

This time Shawn wiped the tears from her eyes. "I could never leave you, baby. Leaving you would be leaving a part of me."

At this, Shawn smiled and pulled her into a hug. They stayed like this for several minutes enjoying the warmth the other radiated. Shawn inhaled her essence and used it to wrap him in the security that only she could give him. One touch from Angela and Shawn felt the safest that he ever had. She knew how to calm the storms that raged within him and all she had to do was place her gentle hand in his and his world became right.

"Can you ever forgive me?" She spoke in his shoulder.

"Ang, I forgave you the moment you opened that door tonight. I just wanted you to acknowledge the fact that I was left behind. No matter how you want to look at it, I still had to deal with you being absent."

Pulling out of their embrace she sat back on her haunches and shook her head yes.

"I understand. And I see what you mean. Just please never stop communicating with me and talking with me. When you get like you were these past few weeks we can't move forward. You promise me that no matter how hard it gets, we never stop communicating?" Her eyes pleaded with him for an understanding.

"Deal," he quietly stated.

Then, with a huge smile on his face, he began to say, "But let's just say that I communicate with you that I want dessert but what I _mean_ is that I want a little sumthin' sumthin', does that count as the same thing?" Shawn asked cheekily.

Both laughed and Angela moved to lightly hit him on the shoulder, but he caught her wrist.

"Jerk," she said with a playful smile.

"Yes, but you love me anyways."

Her eyes softened as did her tone, "Always."

"Forever," he finished.

Those were the last words spoken as they leaned in to allow their lips to meet. Once they connected, the passion they ignited was brighter than the lights from the stars and the buildings combined. It was a kiss so filled with love that no amount of distance or time could ever tear it apart.


End file.
